Miller calls for Canada to reconsider UN

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Larry Miller says he's fed up with the United Nations and will call on Canada to consider withdrawing from the organization.

Miller issued a news release this week that highlighted his areas of concern, which include a UN committee's criticism of the government's treatment of war criminals, potential human rights violations in its refugee reform bill, and the committee's call for "redress" for Omar Khadr and his swift return to Canada.

Miller also added his voice to others in government "disappointed" with comments from UN special rapporteur for food Olivier De Schutter, whose 11-day tour of Canada to review food security "could have been better spent in many other countries that are facing severe food shortages, rather than a high food producing country such as Canada."

"The United Nations is an organization that was designed to work collectively to solve the major problems facing the world," Miller said in the release. "If this is the type of action that the UN will be taking then I think that it is high time that we review our participation in the United Nations."

Miller said he would contact Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird "and will urge Government to review Canada's participation in the United Nations."

Canada is a signatory to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The Committee Against Torture was created by the UN to ensure the convention "is observed and implemented" and its recent report assessed Canada's adherence to the convention.

The committee criticized Canada for publicizing the names and faces of the 30 most-wanted people found inadmissible to Canada for possible war crimes or crimes against humanity, then deporting them if caught, rather than ensuring they're prosecuted rather than simply removed.

Concerning Bill C-31 to combat human smuggling, the committee said it is "deeply concerned" about its "excessive Ministerial discretion." It would be mandatory to detain individuals who enter Canada irregularly, but would exclude those nationals of designated "safe" countries. The committee recommendations included that Canada ensure detention is a last resort and all refugee claimants have access to a full appeal hearing.

A 2010 plea deal allowed Khadr to serve one year in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of an eight-year sentence after admitting to murder and terrorism charges before being eligible to return to Canada for the rest of his sentence. He admitted throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. medic in Afghanistan as a 15-year-old.

It's up to the Canadian government to decide when Khadr may return. The Committee Against Torture called on the government to do so "and to ensure that he receives appropriate redress for human rights violations that the Canadian Supreme Court has ruled he experienced."

The committee made many other recommendations and also acknowledged progress made by Canada.

Last month, De Schutter estimated 800,000 Canadian households are "food insecure," meaning they can't afford to feed themselves properly. "Food banks that depend on charity are not a solution: they are a symptom of failing social safety nets that the Government must address," he said. He said inadequate diets lead to obesity and that one in four Canadians is obese. He also said the federal government should do more to help Aboriginal Canadians afford nutritious food.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney suggested De Schutter was wasting his organization's money by visiting a developed country. He also pointed out Canada sends billions of dollars in food aid to feed people starving in developing countries.